Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

As we wind down toward the end of the school year, there is still so much going on.

Congratulations to the parents who will complete the UFT parent leadership academy series this weekend. These parents dedicated three Saturdays to learning skills to help them better advocate for their children and NYC public schools.

I hope you'll also be able to attend our last UFT Manhattan parent workshop of the school year on June 1 or 3. We'll be discussing Title I funding and the city and state budget process.

• When: Wednesday, June 1 at 9 a.m. OR Friday, June 3 at 6 p.m.
• Where: UFT headquarters at 52 Broadway, 10th floor. Directions »

As always, refreshments will be served, and children are welcome. To RSVP, email me at fstreich@uft.org. See the flier »

Our parent special education committee has been collaborating with the DOE to plan a training session on special education for parent coordinators on June 24. It's been a wonderful collaboration so far. Contact me if you want to get involved.

The Coalition for Educational Justice continues to lobby the City Council for a Parent Engagement Innovation Fund. The innovation fund would allow every district to implement a research-backed parent engagement initiative like parent-teacher home visits or academic parent-teacher teams. These programs would help strengthen relationships between home and school and help parents get involved in their children's learning. Read more about the Parent Engagement Innovation Fund proposal »

We also want the City Council to expand the UFT Community Learning Schools Initiative. This is a wonderful program that makes its participating schools in poor and underserved areas a hub for the community by offering wraparound services such as health and dental care, English classes and more.

If you want to see the parent engagement fund implemented and the Community Learning Schools expanded, call your City Council representative and let him or her know. The city budget this year may be finalized as early as June 7, so don't wait. Look up your City Council member »

You can also download a call script from the Coalition for Educational Justice »

We did a lot of great work lobbying state legislators in Albany for the state education budget this year. On April 1, Albany lawmakers passed a $1.4 billion increase in state education aid, with $525 million going to New York City public schools. Read the UFT New York Teacher story »

A group of parents will be traveling to Chicago from May 24 to 26 to join the Fight for $15 campaign at the McDonald's shareholders' meeting. By working together in New York City, we were able to raise the wage for many low-wage workers in the city. Hopefully, we can do more to fight for a living wage nationally as well.

Check out more events, news and resources below.

Sincerely,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Tuesday, May 17: Spanish-speaking parents are invited to a speak out on the DOE's translation and interpretation services from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at 151 W. 30th St. in Manhattan. Share your experiences and any difficulties you've encountered with the Department of Education's translation services. To RSVP, contact Priscilla Monico at pmonico@afcnyc.org.

• Wednesday, May 18: The Coalition for Educational Justice invites community school parents to a discussion about community schools from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at 233 Broadway, Suite 720. Discuss your community school issues and ideas and help the coalition plan a summer conference. Dinner, translation and child care will be provided. To RSVP, call 212-328-9254 or email ncapers@nyccej.org.

• Wednesday, May 18: Come to a free viewing of Frozen at Hamilton Fish Park in Manhattan at 8 p.m. This is one of many free movie showings in NYC parks throughout the city that will be offered all summer. For a full list, see the parks department website »

• Thursday, May 19: Come to a presentation about communicating with your kids at 7 p.m. at 340 1st Ave. There will be wine and snacks along with this great workshop about helping your child cope with negative feelings, develop self-esteem and more. To RSVP, email ibizakidz@verizon.net.

• Friday, May 20: Come to a mental health awareness luncheon in Brooklyn from noon to 4 p.m. at 55 Hanson Place on the 9th floor. There will be presentations about mental health and wellness for children, teens and young adults, a performance from children, lunch, a raffle and more. To RSVP or find out more details, email willadvocatemh@yahoo.com or call 646-401-2773.

• Friday, May 20: Youth between the ages of 13 and 18 are invited to teen night at the Met from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be art making, performances, gallery activities and more. This is a free event. See the event listing »

• Wednesday, May 25: There will be a workshop about parent education advocacy for children with disabilities from 6 to 8 p.m. at 83 Maiden Lane in downtown Manhattan. For more details and to register, see the event listing »

• Wednesday, May 25: Enact, Inc. invites you to a showcase of dramatic performances from NYC students that tackle issues such as bullying and peer pressure. This free event will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the West Side YMCA, 10 W. 64th St. RSVP online now »

• Wednesday, June 1 and Wednesday, June 16: The DOE will host parent conferences in Mandarin and Spanish this June in order to improve access for families who speak little or no English. The Mandarin conference will be on June 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Queens Library in Flushing. See the event listing » And the Spanish conference will be on June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Brooklyn Public Library. See the event listing »

• Tuesday, June 7: The DOE invites parents to a citywide conference for parents of English language learners and former English language learners from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at El Museo de Barrio at 1230 5th Ave. in Manhattan. Parents will learn about bilingual programs, how to support their children academically and more. For more information and to register, see the DOE website »

News

• Success Academy memos show anxiety over test scores and spending: A set of internal documents and memos from Success Academy charter schools show doubts about the charter chain's spending, high pressure on teachers to keep test scores up and the possibility of cheating on standardized tests. Read the story from Capital New York »

• How hedge funds influence education: The American Prospect magazine investigated how hedge funds are able to influence local education policy through charter school corporations. Read the article »

• Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa says standardized testing can be abusive for some students: State Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa called out high-stakes testing policies as unfair and abusive for English language learners and students with disabilities. Read the story in the Daily News »

• Activists are winning the war against hedge funds: Check out this excellent piece from New York Magazine about how hedge funds are exploiting the working class for profit, and what activists are doing to stop it. Read the article »

• Report reveals how failing charter schools stay open: A new report from the National Association of Charter Schools Authorizers shows how charter schools use a legal loophole to remain open even when they are failing by measures used to close public schools. Find out more »

• Black and Hispanic students are being passed over for gifted and talented programs, but there's a fix: Talented Black and Hispanic students are less likely to be identified as eligible for gifted and talented programs than their white and Asian counterparts, even when they perform just as well in school. But one school district in Florida found a way to offset this bias. Read the article in the New York Times »

• Career and technical education programs lead to a good career out of high school: Although a college education is a wonderful goal, career and technical education programs are an underrated path to well-paying, high-skill jobs right out of high school. Read an article from USA Today »

Political action

• Tell Michigan Governor Rick Snyder not to attack Detroit schools: Under state control, Detroit public schools were deprived of needed funding. Staff and students have spoken out against crumbling infrastructure and unsafe conditions, and now Republican lawmakers want to punish them by stripping teachers of their contracts and benefits. Tell Gov. Snyder to veto this destructive bill. Sign the petition »

Opportunities and resources

• Video contest to win prizes for your school: The UFT and other sponsors invite NYC high school, middle school and elementary school students to submit a three-minute video explaining why their school is in need and the project they would undertake to make it better — if they had the money. Winners will receive grants for their schools, and submissions will be accepted until June 15. See the flier »

• Parent Teacher Association election posters: Your school should have received an election poster this week in order to display the date, time and location of your Parent Teacher Association election. For more information about these elections, see the DOE website »

• Round 2 of high school admissions results are in: If your child participated in round 2 of high school admissions, he or she should have received a results letter from the guidance counselor this week. If you have any questions, contact your guidance counselor or call 718-935-2399. For more information, see the DOE website »

• New York Cares is accepting applications from high-needs schools: New York Cares is accepting applications for its School Success Initiative, a program that pairs high-needs public schools with dedicated staff to help set up new programs and support. For more information, see the online application »

• Tip sheet about boys and homework: Download a free tip sheet about helping boys with homework »

• Cooling support for New Yorkers with heat-related health issues: If you have a medical condition that is aggravated by heat but lack the funds for an air conditioner, help is available. Gov. Cuomo has allocated $3 million for New Yorkers who need air conditioning to install it. Find out more »

• Free, one-on-one college admissions help: Low-income high school students are invited to apply for Bottom Line, a free support program for college admission. For more information, see the flier »

• Round 2 of pre-K admissions open until May 20: In round 1 of pre-K admissions, 85 percent of families were assigned to one of their top three choices. This is proving to be a great year for the pre-K for all initiative. If you haven't applied for next year yet, don't wait. For more information, visit the DOE website »

• Flatbush Tenant Coalition is hiring a housing specialist: The Flatbush Tenant Coalition is seeking applications for its open housing specialist position. See the job listing »

• Resource guide for supporting undocumented students: The Federal Department of Education published a resource guide for educators supporting students who are undocumented immigrants. The resource guide covers all educational levels. Read it online »

• Children's books that encourage kindness: Check out this list of 13 children's books that encourage kindness toward others. Read the article on Buzzfeed »

• Encourage summer learning and get free books: The Barnes and Noble summer reading program, and other summer reading programs like it, award free books and other prizes to kids for completing summer reading activities. Read the article on About.com »

Free and low-cost summer programs

• Free summer writing workshop for teens: NYC youth between the ages of 15 and 20 are invited to apply for a free summer writing workshop from July 5 to Aug. 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and get one-on-one mentoring from a professional editor, writing lessons, group activities and more. Participants will receive a MetroCard and $7 for lunch each day; and youth in foster care receive a $600 stipend. Learn more and apply »

• Sports classes for kids in NYC parks this summer: The City Parks Foundation offers free sports classes in soccer, track and field, golf, tennis and more. Register online now »

• Leadership program for immigrant high school students: The New York Immigration Coalition invites immigrant high school students to apply for its second cohort of the New American Youth Leadership Corps. The program will meet weekly this summer for leadership workshops, community service projects and more. The application deadline is June 9. Apply online now »

• Three-week speech therapy camp for kids with cerebral palsy: Columbia Teacher's College invites children between the ages of 5 and fifteen to register for a three-week camp held between July 5 and 20 for speech therapy in a fun, supportive environment. For more information and to register, email cpspeech@tc.columbia.edu. See the flier »

• Three-week residential math camp for rising 8th-graders: Students completing 7th grade who are gifted in math and attend a public school where at least 75% of the students receive free or reduced-price lunch may be eligible for a residential math camp. The camp runs from July 5 to 26 at Bard College and is free. Students must be recommended by their teachers. To learn more, see the website »

• Dual-enrollment and college-readiness programs: High school students are invited to enroll in College Now summer programs. These are dual-enrollment (both college and high school credit) classes and college-readiness classes offered by CUNY. They span many disciplines and are offered in all boroughs. For more information, visit the website »

• Summer programs for students attending renewal schools: The Department of Education invites students attending the 94 schools in the mayor's School Renewal Program to attend summer programs for all grade levels. There are Summer in the City enrichment programs, STEM programs and more for students in grades 2 through 11. To learn more and apply, visit the website »

• Free science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) camp: The DOE is accepting applications until May 20 for its STEM "summer in the city" program for students in grades 2 through 10. The program runs from July 7 to Aug. 11, Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and MetroCards are provided. Apply online now »

• Free summer tutoring for rising fourth-grade students: Everyone Reading will offer free tutoring this summer to children born in 2007 and entering fourth grade next school year. This program most benefits students with dyslexia or who need support with phonics. The program will begin on June 30 and run from July 5 to 29, Mondays through Fridays, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York on 5th Ave and 103rd St. in Manhattan. The program involves an hour of one-on-one tutoring in reading skills, then two hours of hands-on museum education activities such as photography, map making and model building. To apply, contact Lavinia Mancuso at lmancuso@everyonereading.org or 917-903-2648. See the flier »

• Summer youth police academy: New York City children who are between the ages of 10 and 16 and attending school are welcome to apply for the New York Police Department's summer youth academy. This 6-week program, running from July 5 to Aug. 12, offers educational sessions about law, behavioral science, drug prevention and gang resistance. Students will also enjoy field trips and outdoor volunteer opportunities. There are locations in all boroughs. Lunch and transportation are included. Applications are being accepted until May 20. To learn more and apply, visit the website »